Caster



. CASTER 'Filed April 22. 1951 I z f @"2 Patented Aug. 9, .1932

UNITED STATES Paris-NroiFFiEl-if CLEMENT n. UHL, or' TOLEDO, omo, AssIeNon *ro THE monnnoMnTAL FURNITURE -F COMPANY, OF TOLEDO, OHIO, A'CORPORATION OIEiOI-IIO,` Y

casrna Application mea April 22, i931.' serial 110.531,94?.

This invention relates to casters or swivel wheels of the type commonly used on furniture, small trucks and similar articles, and has for its object the provision of simple and efficient means for attaching the wheel and its bearing pin to the fork member of a caster, so as to enable them to be easily and quickly assembled and also separated to facilitate repair or replacement of the Wheel and pin, or either, and also cleaning and freeing the pin of accumulated matter, such, for instance, as threads which interfere with the free running of the wheel.

The invention is fully described in the following specification, and While in its broader aspect it is capable of embodiment in different forms, one embodiment thereof is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a caster embodying the invention attached to a furniture leg, and Fig. 2 is a section o-n the line 2 2 in Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing, 1 designates the fork member of the caster, 2 the wheel, and 3 the pivot or bearingk pin, which is mounted at its ends in the leg portionsof the lfork and held thereby against turning and forms a bearing intermediate the fork legs on which the wheel turns, as is customary in the art. Y

The fork member is provided in the lower end of each leg with a vertical or upwardly extending notch 4 for receiving either end of the pin 3 and is preferably of a length considerably greater than the diameter of the leg-engaging end portions of the pin, and of a width'substantially the same as the pin diameter, as shown.

The pin 3, when in operative position, has bearings against both the end and side walls of the notches, and one end of the pin is squared as at 5, or at least provided with two opposed flat surfaces for coaction with the side walls of the notch in which disposed, to prevent turning of the pin relative to the fork. The'edges of the mouth portions of the notches 4 are preferably rounded to facilitate entry of the pin ends therein. The pin 3 is longer than the outsidewidth of the forli` 1 Vto cause itsends to project slightly fronithe fork sides when: centeredtherein. Y V YA;'spring-finger'6--is fixed at.; one `end to the outerfside of Veach leg 'of-the gforkr'l, Y

the present instance, nearits top, by-farivet 7, or other suitable fastening meanspand pro v jects downwardly therefrom over o r irl-.coveringv relation tothe Y respective notchfl, with its free end terminatingY substantially atthe bottom of theleg,"or lowerend of thetnotch'. An-.outwardlybulge or offset 8 is provided in each nger 6 to `form a recess for receiving the adjacent projecting endY of the pin-3 when in operative position'- in the lfo"1 "k.^-'1`he free end of each lfinger 6 is alsooutwardly offset' from the respective leg, as indicated at` 9, to`

facilitate ventry of thef'pin into 'the mouth portions of the notches 4 between the ends of the two spring-fingers 'without disturbing the 4 normal `positions of the ngers, as dottedlinesin Fig. 2.^The` reentrant portions l10-ofthe fingers 6,which are/disposed i between the; oset' portionsS and y9fof the fingers, coact with the respective ends ofthe l pin'S to normally retain the pin inthe inner t end portions of the'notch'est, and said por# tions 1 O`have the Yupper"and'lower ends of their inner sides rounded, vor of other suit-l able form,=to facilitate theendsof-the'pin beingforced pastfthe same when'sufficient pressure isapplied thereto upon an 'insertion' intoor withdrawal of the pin fromY the'fork.

Itis apparent that a wheel and litsl pin may n beeasily. and quicklyplaced in vasse'inbled position with respect tothe fork byginserting therollerwithinithe fork with the pin ends seating in the mouth portionsof the notches 4,

and that by then exerting suliicient inward pressure against the wheel the pin is forced Y past the reentrant portions 10 of the springlinger 6 and into the recesses formed by the offset portions 8 of said lingers, in which position the end portions of the pin have a bearing against the inner ends of the notches. It is also apparent that the roller and its pin may be easily and quickly removed from the forkvfor the purpose of cleaning, repair or replacement, by merely exerting a suflicient downward pull 4on the wheel relative to the fork to spring the ends v' of the pin past the.

ico

signed my naine to thisspecieation.V f'

vshouldered or reentrant portions 10 of the fingers. y Y

I Wish it understood that my invention is not limited to any specific construction, arrangement or form of theparts, as it is capable of numerous modifications and. changes without departing hfrom, the vspirit of the claims. w

Having thus described my invention, Vwhat I claim new and. desire-tellsecure Unite 1. In a caster, a fork having upwardly ezgy A tending bearing notches in the lower ends' its legs, abearing pin mounted at .itsrendsjin Y said notches and removable therefrom length# wiseof thenotches and transversely ofrjthe pin, axis, said pin being longerthan the width of th-ffii, a wheclrotatablymeunted; ongthe pin within the fork, and a springfinger iiXlefd one end tothe outer side of each fork leg ,andV having its freek end projecting down; wadly over the respective vnotchy yand teriminatingV near vthe .end thereof, each cfs-aid iiiigershavin-g an inturnedI shoulderV portion without=the assembled positionV of the pin to `coact with the pinl ends and yieldingly retain the fpin imoperative position at the ,in-

fier endsl of thenotches.-

Ine esteeeerkihavg ovnwerif, einendingl notch in the free endlofjeach: leg, a

f pivot'pin mounted atlits ends in said notches andremovable'therefrom lengthwise of the notches and transversely'tothe axis, the

ends of the .pin projeetingbeyond the sides of the fork and one of said ends being other than rQund-toprevent its turning in the fork,

a wheel mountedbn thepinwithin the' fork', 41-

and a spring-linger xed tothe outer sidei of ea'chz leg of the fork and havingits free end projecting Vdownwardly overthe: respective notch-andV terminating substantially at the endof the `vnotchsa-id springs yhaving ceac tion withthe respective ends of :the pin, and havingj inwardly shouldered portions in spaced .relation to the innerL and outer ends-of thenotches which resist lee/)thY an insertion oithe pin into the inner'y end. portions rofthe Y notches. anda removal of the pinthererm.

LQln Avtestimony whereof I VLhave hereunto' CLEMENT R. f 

